Dear Editor,
Reference to your news story on President Ali’s visit to China (July 26). With more Guyanese living in USA than in Guyana and hardly any Guyanese residing in China, Guyana should seek to re-balance its relations with China and with USA and avoid entanglement reminiscent of the cold war or US-Soviet rivalry. Guyana has been vulnerable to cold war rivalry. One must not forget the impact of the US-Soviet duel on Guyana going back to the early 1950s. Guyana’s ongoing prosperity is linked with the US and the West. And almost every Guyanese I engage in Guyana and in the diaspora want closer links with the USA, a democracy, where human rights are respected and where thousands of Guyanese visitors engaged in short term employment off the books as their primary means of income; the latter is vital for economic survival of thousands of families in Guyana where local income cannot sustain livelihoods.
Guyana, like all developing countries in America’s backyard, should stay far from the acrimonious struggle between the U.S and Chinese governments albeit several American cabinet members visited Beijing in recent weeks to work out differences. And our spokespersons should be very careful with their words. Business person should also take note of Washington’s concerns. Guyana must avoid diplomatic engagements, economic and political treaties, investments, and trade relations that raise geo-political (geo-strategic) concerns in Washington. Guyana should pursue closer relations with the US. Guyanese in USA and Guyana should lobby their respective governments to cement ties and cooperation. Guyanese Americans and others in the diaspora should invest in their country of origin so that Guyana does not have to rely on capital from countries which raise geo-strategic concerns.
It is noted that there has been a lot of USA-Guyana engagements since President Ali took office in August 2020; and it was US intervention that led to Ali’s swearing in as President. President Ali met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken a couple weeks ago in Guyana and in Trinidad. The Secretary made a special trip to Guyana having already met with the President in Port of Spain a day earlier. In June, the President met with Vice President Kamala Harris in Bahamas. The President was welcomed to Washington last year, and the year before he met President Biden in Los Angeles. The US has been sending a clear, unambiguous message of the importance of Guyana and for it to be wary of its relations with outside competitors. Guyana should and must pursue a comprehensive strategic partnership with Washington. All Guyanese should lobby for such a policy action.
Sincerely,
Dr. Vishnu Bisram
